Get Connected!

MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals
news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on
every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service,
MASN has got all the bases covered.

Orioles release pair that were on minor league deals

The Orioles released catcher Josh Johnson and pitcher Casey Fossum over the weekend. Both were in extended spring training on minor league contracts. Neither was currently on a roster of any of the team's minor league affiliates.

Beyond that, I have no other info as to how they played or looked this spring, just that both have been released.

Here are some notes about tonight's Orioles-White Sox game:

* New White Sox manager Robin Ventura made his major league debut at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore on Sept. 12, 1989 and recorded his first hit, an RBI single, that night off Ben McDonald. Ventura played 114 games against the Orioles in his 16-year career, batting .261 (108-414) with 20 homers and 64 RBIs.

* We'll be tracking the runners in scoring position stat again tonight with this club. The Orioles went 0-for-11 with RISP the last two games and 3-for-17 in the Toronto series, but still won two of three. The Orioles are batting .179 with that stat on the year at 12-for-67.

The Orioles No. 2 through No. 5 hitters are a combined 2-for-26 thus far with RISP. J.J. Hardy is 0-for-8, Nick Markakis is 1-for-6, Adam Jones is 1-for-6 and Matt Wieters began tonight at 0-for-6.

* The Orioles continue to play a lot of close games and six of the first nine games have been decided by two runs or less. The Orioles are 4-2 in those games.

* The Orioles lead the league in double plays turned so far with 15. They turned seven in the series at Rogers Centre.

* The Orioles series win in Toronto was their first there since June of 2008 and ended a run of 11 straight series losses in that park. The Orioles won just five road series all of last year.